You Don't Have To Change A Thing
by ecstaticallygray
Summary: "He looks like he walked off a Burberry catalogue," Nyssa admired openly, eyes still glued to a certain young doctor who had just walked to his desk to collect some last minute stuff. "That's Dr. Spencer Reid," Penelope corrected herself, a little too happily. The journey of Reid's new love, but from the eyes of the team. Reid/OC. Set is season 9.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello people! It's been a while since I've written fanfiction so I might be a bit rusty. Also I've never written tv shows fanfiction so let's see how this goes. Hope you enjoy this because Spencer Reid deserves love and happiness and I will fight you on this.**

 **This is set somewhere in the start of season 9.**

* * *

"And that's where we're going," Penelope Garcia concluded, stirring the rapidly cooling cup of coffee in her hands. "We believe that the UnSub might be using that land as a base operations of sorts."

Agent Nyssa Langdon of the Organized Crime Unit nodded in understanding. She was a short and curvy woman barely in her thirties, skin a shade lighter than Morgan's and head full of beautiful, dark hair that surrounded her face in a halo of spiny curls. She had contacted the BAU when she found out that they were chasing a case she had worked on a few years back and Penelope was quickly filling her in on the new information that had just surfaced. Currently, Nyssa was doing very well on Penelope's Doubtful Scale of First Impressions.

"I can't believe this guys resurfaced," Agent Nyssa shook her head, making her curls bounce. She was dressed a bit unconventionally in a neon blue blazer paired with a sunny yellow shirt, and that alone had scored her major points from Penelope, who regularly hailed herself as the Queen of Eccentricity. Granted bright colors themselves weren't truly novel but Penelope would always admire the gal of anyone who dared to wear neon in their party of blacks and grays.

"The nerve of some of them, I swear," the agent continued, surprising Penelope. She spoke as if they discussed cases with each other every day. "The last time we were this close to catching him and this sucker practically slipped from my hands."

Penelope had a not so strange urge to pat the woman's shoulder. "Well, we'll catch him this time, Agent Langdon. Trust me."

"Nyssa is fine," the woman said, waving her away. "I wished our Tech Analyst was this nice. My team and I practically have to do the work ourselves."

Penelope smiled and straightened her spine in mock pride. "Well, Nyssa, unfortunately I'm one of a kind."

Nyssa grinned and once again directed her attention to the file in her hand. Penelope turned around to add a bit more sugar to her coffee. She was stirring again when Nyssa asked, "Woah, who's that?"

Now Penelope had heard enough variations of the phrase to know when Derek Morgan had walked into line of sight. Issuing a small, dreamy sigh, Penelope turned back around and said, "That, my dearest, is Derek Mor-"

It was not Derek Morgan. Penelope checked again to where Nyssa was looking, following the woman's gaze just to make sure she was seeing what she was seeing, and felt a slow smile spread across her lips.

"He looks like he walked off a Burberry catalogue," Nyssa admired openly, eyes still glued to a certain young doctor who had just walked to his desk to collect some last minute stuff. The man in question was dressed quiet tastefully in a dark grey vest paired with a loosened navy tie, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled carelessly to his elbows. "Fashion in men is so underrated."

"That's Dr. Spencer Reid," Penelope corrected herself, a little too happily. Her matchmaking fingers were stirring from a long, deep slumber and she stretched them in preparation. "He has this whole chic-college-professor thing going for him, hasn't he?"

"Mhmmm," Nyssa agreed, appreciatively. "Now why couldn't my ex have dressed like that?"

Penelope was liking this girl more and more by the minute. It wasn't as if she was unaware of how good-looking their resident genius was. It was just that he mostly got overlooked in favor of a certain darker, finer flavor and Penelope was quite happy that for once, Reid was getting the attention that he deserved.

Nyssa's brows furrowed. "Wait a minute, did you say Dr. Reid?"

"Yes, why?"

This time a whole new admiration spread across Nyssa's face. "I've read some of his work. It's brilliant actually. I loved that article on how traits like kindness and empathy might actually have a genetic factor and may be passed on from one or both parents. I thought a theory like that would almost be impossible to prove but the way he sighted some of the studies-"

Oh, this was getting too good. Penelope's matchmaking fingers were now in full effect. "How much of his work have you encountered?" Penelope asked slyly.

Nyssa absently turned a page on her file, eyes still on Reid who was rummaging through one of his drawers, completely oblivious. "I read one of the articles on linguistics that he wrote with Dr. Blake and then I went on and googled him to see if there was more. I couldn't find any other studies but then I read some of the stuff he wrote on profiling criminals and it actually helped me on this one case. There was a low level mob boss and we caught him by tricking one of the right hands to spill the beans on the whole operation. I used one of the tricks Dr. Reid mentions on dealing with submissives-"

By then, Penelope was full on grinning. She placed a light hand on Nyssa's elbow. "Come on, why don't I introduce you two?"

She saw a sparkle of something shinning in the young agent's eyes. "Yeah. He's part of the team right?"

"Yup. One of the OGs -like myself."

They walked past Hotch's office and descended the stairs into the bullpen. Penelope chanced a glance at the agent by her side and saw no hesitation or nervousness, only blatant interest. She was pretty, a round-ish nose, thick lips and eyebrows Penelope would kill for. From the way she had talked about Reid's articles, Penelope had a feeling that she was a closet intellectual. Or maybe a not so closet one at all. She was waiting to find out.

"Reid," Penelope said, closing on his desk, "This is Agent Nyssa Langdon. She's the agent who previously worked the case."

Reid turned around from rummaging through his drawer and smiled politely at the newcomer. He appraised her for a quick second, "Did you know that wearing bright blue in workplaces has actually proven to increase mood and efficiency? Workers in blue offices feel the most centered, calm and hopeful towards their work. In fact since blue can lower heart rates, and green reduces anxiety and is associated with money, a combination of blue and green is best for the workplace."

Agent Nyssa didn't seem weirded out by the sudden outburst. In fact, she seemed almost amused. Raising a single eyebrow –a feat which Penelope had never been able to accomplish- Nyssa quipped back, "And is that why you're wearing this lovely shade of gray?"

A corner of Spencer's mouth lifted in an adorably cute smile. (Yes, she knew that he was a grown man but do you disagree?) Almost shyly, he replied, "Touché."

Nyssa extended a hand, "I'm Nyssa from Organized Crime. It's a pleasure to meet you Dr. Reid. I've read some of your articles."

Reid seemed pleasantly surprised. He took the offered hand, giving it a small shake, "Really? Did you enjoy one in particular?"

"Oh, the one about how modern English has expanded to include internet language was fascinating. The psychology behind it was really interesting since slang has always been seen as a sign of lesser intelligence but the exact opposite could be true for the millennial generation."

Reid's delight only augmented. Shifting his messenger back a bit on his shoulder, he quickly launched into a discussion about the article Nyssa had mentioned, recalling facts like he had written the article only yesterday instead of probably years before.

Slowly, Penelope backed away, still grinning, until she reached JJ's desk. JJ was on the phone but she hung up when she saw Penelope standing by her side, face stretched like a Cheshire cat's.

"What are you smiling about?" JJ asked, curiously.

"He shook her hand!" Penelope exclaimed in an exaggerated whisper. "He never shakes hands!"

JJ raised her head, glancing at the duo still immersed in deep discussion, and said, "Huh."

"Huh is right, my love. This is the beginning. We are witness to the beginning. I have a good feeling about this. My gut is tingling. I have gut tingles."

JJ stood up, shaking her head in amusement, "Come on, Miss Matchmaker, why don't you drop me off at the jet."

"Gut tingles, JJ!"

Very reluctantly, she allowed the blonde to drag her away.

But later, much later, when things were well under way, she would always be the first person to loudly declare that she had seen it coming from the very start.

* * *

"It's like there are two of them."

"But she…she looked so normal…"

Derek grinned at Rossi, who was quietly observing the duo standing before one of the evidence boards.

"It's obviously a code of some sort," Reid was saying. He had a half-full cup of coffee in one hand and a red marker in the other. A huge pattern of numbers and alphabets was plastered over the evidence board and on its other side stood Agent Nyssa Langdon who had accompanied the BAU on this particular case. "It doesn't follow any pattern but the words obviously have a sequence to them. It's too unscrambled to be random. There's too much repetition; see how the alphabets are going across."

"Right." Nyssa said, nodding her head in understanding. She looked at the pattern on the board, brow crinkling and started murmuring something under her breath. The team exchanged amused looks between themselves but didn't interrupt whatever was going on.

"Cipher... pattern…if you change it with a keyword…keyword." She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and squinted at the chart. Then, almost as if a light was going off, they both looked at each other at the same time and exclaimed, "It's a Vigenere cipher!"

Derek glanced between the two excited adults and sighed, "Okay, I'll bite. What's a Vigenere cipher?"

They both quickly explained the logistics of the code, their words almost running over each other and about a minute later, Derek concluded, "So we need a keyword?"

"It won't be hard to find," Reid said. "The keyword would probably be something the members use to identify each other with or a password that gains them entry into exclusive places."

"Most commonly, it's a small word like 'flower' or 'chair' or something like that," Nyssa continued. "But in this case I think it must be something that's important to Mark Zed –the man in charge."

"Exactly," Reid said, sending a pleased look in Nyssa's direction. "Since we characterized him as someone who is able to carry out normal relationships without raising suspicion, it might even be the name of a family member."

"That seems the most likely," Hotch said. He leaned forwards and pushed a button to speed-dial. "Garcia," he said, "I need a list of all of Mark Zed's closest family members and associates."

"Right away, sir," replied a chirpy voice from the other side.

Derek stood up to take a closer look at the cipher himself. He patted Reid on the shoulder, "Good work, kid." Then he glanced at Agent Langdon, who had already started a list of closest associates that she could remember from memory. "You too, Langdon. You've got quite a brain in you."

She gave him a quick, shy smile, "Thanks Agent Morgan. Instead of going ahead and doing multiple doctorates like Agent Reid here, I stuck to getting a couple of masters. One of my reports that got published was actually on the language and methodology to ciphers."

"Impressive." Morgan admitted. From Reid's face by his side, it looked like he wasn't the only one that thought so. "How many masters?"

"Two." Nyssa admitted. "Law and Criminal Justice."

"Well, then Organized Crime seems just the place for you," Morgan said. With a quick smile, he walked back to the team but not before he heard the conversation the followed after he left.

"Law and Criminal Justice," Reid said. "Lemme guess. Your father is a successful lawyer and he wanted you to carry on the family legacy."

There was a pause and then, "Did you just profile me, Dr. Reid?" Nyssa's tone was playful, almost flirty.

Derek could almost _see_ Reid's ears turning red. "It's ah….difficult to turn off, after so many years on the job,"

"Okay, so tell me more, Doctor. Profile me."

There was a responding playfulness in Reid's voice, something that made Derek's eyebrows rise on his forehead, "Do you really want me to that?"

"Yup. Do your thing."

"Okay," Reid said. "You IQ is obviously above average because despite the fact that you have two master degrees, you hold quite an estimable position in your team as well, which suggests you've been working for the FBI for at least five to six years. Considering that, you obviously completed both masters at a young age, probably in your mid-twenties. You've also read some of my articles that have no relation to either organized crime or law which means you like to read outside of the demands of your job. All of this points quite clearly to a higher level of IQ. The fact that you didn't seem offended when I suggested you perused your higher studies in law because of your father means that you obviously hold a close relationship with him and don't mind the association. You're wearing neon blue which means you want to stand out in a room but you've also paired it with a pastel yellow blouse because you don't want to stand out _too much_. When dealing with the BAU team, you seem comfortable because you're comfortable with the position you hold in the FBI, yet you were quite pleased when Morgan complimented you because you still feel like you have a lot of ways to go and praise from a higher official made you feel validated."

There was stunned silence from the other end and Morgan almost groaned out loud. This was practically the first dating rule in his book: never profile a potential date. And especially not to their face! He was about to walk away from the awkward silence that was bound to follow but then something amazing happened.

"That was brilliant," Nyssa said, a touch of awe in her voice. "But you're holding something back. It's practically trying to spill itself out of your mouth."

Spencer gave an awkward laugh-slash-cough. He hesitated for a bit and then said, "I think the reason that you get along with me well is because you obviously enjoy thought-provoking, stimulating academic discussions but you might not receive your due share in your daily life."

Another pause, as if Nyssa was weighing the legitimacy of the assumption. "You're… you're right," she finally said. "But there's another reason too."

"And what's that?" Reid asked.

The next sentence was spoken in a whisper so low, Morgan almost missed it. "Because you're incredibly attractive."

Morgan had to place a hand on his mouth to stop the laugh that almost burst out. He walked away before he heard any more of the conversation; honestly, he wasn't sure he wanted to hear more. But in his mind, he was already planning on how he was going to give Reid a hard time about this later. That would be a fun conversation.

They were heading out of the precinct, when Morgan stopped Reid with a hand to the shoulder. "So," Derek said, with a sly grin, "are you going to ask her out?"

Reid weighed the odds of pretending to not know what Derek was talking about but finally decided against it, "I don't know…maybe."

There was real hesitation on his face and Derek realized with a start that he probably hadn't dated anyone new since Maeve's death. Derek felt his face soften. "Hey kid, no pressure. But she likes you and you have good chemistry. I think you should go for it."

Reid thought it over for a moment and then looked up, giving him a small smile, "Thanks, Morgan. I'll think about it."

But from the way he walked dejectedly over to the SUV and slipped inside, Derek wasn't sure he was going to.

* * *

 **So there's going to be continuation of this, of course. Hope you like my OC; it's actually the first time I've ever written one into a fanfic. Suggestions and constructive criticism are always welcome. Hope I did well on the profiling front!**

 **Also, disclaimer: the blue environment fact is picked up from google; I have no idea whether kindness and empathy have any link to genetics whatsoever; same for the thing about linguistics and modern English; the cipher is a real thing but I don't really fully understand it myself. Don't fool yourself with my bogus facts ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi again! Thanks for all the nice reviews. I'd love suggestions for future scenes you'd like to see!**

 **Disclaimer: I could never create the perfection that is Dr. Reid. Nyssa is mine though c:**

* * *

The case didn't end the way Rossi expected it to. That is, cleanly with half a dozen arrests and a signed confession. In fact, it ended exactly the opposite of clean: with him, Blake, Reid and Agent Langdon pressed into a corner, pointing their guns at more than a dozen people at the same time. After so many years working for the FBI, his reaction to dangerous situations had gotten a bit underwhelming, but right then, his heart was pounding, his blood was rushing, and his gun even shook once in his grip. They had gotten so used to dealing with single unsubs that this full-scale underground operation had caught them all by surprise.

He directed his gaze to the man in charge, pretending like he didn't even the see his subordinates scattered around him. "It's over Mark, you know this. Right now about the half the police force is heading to this exact location and the last thing they want to see is you guys pointing your guns at a bunch of FBI agents."

But Mark Zed wasn't looking at him. His gaze was fixed on Agent Langdon, and as he looked at the gun she was pointing in his direction, Zed smiled, "Agent Langdon. Long time, no see. I wondered whether you were on the case again and when I didn't see you on the news, I was disappointed. But here you are."

Nyssa stared him down coolly. Rossi had felt that she was a bit shy with him and Hotch, but in the field, she was impressively composed. "You know me, Zed," she said, playing into his game. "I can't let nothing go."

"I'm impressed," Zed said, spreading his hands, even the one holding the gun. "You caught me. Too bad none of you will live to tell the tale. By the time the police gets here, we'll be long gone." He pointed the gun straight at Nyssa's head. "I told the boys I want the pleasure of killing you all to myself."

Rossi's mind was spinning through all the similar scenarios he had encountered throughout his career. But nothing he could think of would be enough to get the four of them out of a possible shootout. There was only one option left. They were going to have to play into the man's game, keep him talking long enough for the rest of the team to get here. Rossi knew that they weren't as far away from their location as Zed seemed to think they were.

Reid seemed to have the same idea, "I have to say, I'm quite impressed. Creating a false reality for your victims just so you could hide what you're doing to them is quite ingenious. Even if they escape, everything they know would be a lie. As a witness, they'd be useless."

"Compliments from a doctor!" Zed exclaimed, faking excitement. "I'm so immensely flattered."

"But you are though, aren't you?" Blake said, taking over. "Even though you knew the importance of keeping the whole thing a secret, some part of you couldn't stand it. The world didn't know anything about the brilliance of what you'd done, what you'd managed to accomplish. Nobody would ever appreciate it, nobody would ever give you your due credit. And you couldn't stand it."

"That's why you slipped," Nyssa concluded. "We might not have caught you for several more years, if ever even. But you wanted credit. Recognition. How does it feel to have self-sabotaged your own success?"

Rossi could tell from Zed's face that they were getting on his nerves. He betrayed nothing; but they were all trained profilers and they all caught the way one corner of his mouth gave the slightest twitch. His gun was still pointing towards Nyssa, safety already pulled, finger already placed on the trigger. "I still win at the end," he gloated, trying to hide the effect that their words were having on him. "Do you feds really think you'll be able to take us?" He waved his gun around but once again, it came to a stop at Nyssa's chest. "All of us? I'd ask you for any last words but I'm afraid I'm not interested."

And then he pulled the trigger.

Several things happened at once.

Police officers and SWAT units exploded into the lot. Several of Zed's lackeys changed targets but many were still pointing at the FBI officials. "Duck!" Rossi yelled; he and Blake both hit the ground as multiple bullets exploded off the wall far behind them. He took a shot at one of the lackeys pointing his gun at him and then pulled the trigger, changing targets and doing it again. A bullet pinged of a pole right behind his ear. Blake gave a small cry as another embedded itself in her vest, but she still managed to shoot down one more of the gunmen. The SWAT team was making quick work of the rest of Zed's lackeys, some of whom had already surrendered.

Rossi chanced a glance at the rest of his team members. Nyssa and Reid had both escaped the first bullet but while Reid was busy pointing his gun at someone else, Nyssa was holding hers to Zed's head, who was disarmed and kneeling on the ground. Her right hand was holding her gun, while the other was putting pressure on her right bicep which was stained a dark, dripping red. Rossi realized she hadn't escaped the bullet after all.

"What are you going to do, Agent Langdon?" Zed grinned a bloody smile. "Kill me? You don't have the balls."

Nyssa's gun was shaking in her hand. The arm holding her gun was the same one that had been shot; it was a miracle that she was using it at all.

"You're angry, aren't you?" Zed asked, trying to agitate her more. "You were supposed to capture me the first time. All those people lost just because you couldn't do your job."

Nyssa was alarmingly quiet. Her gun was still trembling rapidly and Rossi knew that either she was going to lose her grip or take the shot before that happened.

But before either of the options could take place, Rossi started walking across the lot, sneaking up on Zed from behind. He slid a handcuff around one of the man's hands, taking him by surprise, and forcefully attached it to the other.

"Stand up," he ordered the man, and then pulled him to his feet, foregoing all gentleness. "Walk."

Reid was back at Nyssa's side. With a quick look at the situation, he quietly took the gun out of Nyssa's hand and started inspecting her injury.

"You're losing too much blood," he muttered, replacing her hand and pushing his own on the wound to control the bleeding. "And you're going in shock. We need a medic," he spoke into his collar.

Rossi handed the criminal over to Morgan and quickly rushed to Reid's side. Nyssa was too quiet and too pale, starting to sway lightly on her feet. Together, he and Reid lowered her to the ground.

"Agent Langdon. Hey," Rossi stared into her eyes, "I want you to keep your eyes on me, kid. Can you do that?"

Nyssa nodded vaguely, rapidly blinking her large eyes.

Reid glanced behind them to all the cop cars and SUV's gathered around; the EMTs had still not arrived. Taking matters into his own hands, Reid quickly unbuckled his belt and started to wind it around Nyssa's arm to create a tourniquet, tightening the leather until he was satisfied that the pressure would be enough. The blood from Nyssa's wound was all over his hands and clothes but he worked with the practiced efficiency of a man knowing what to do. Rossi realized, for the first time, that Reid would have been just as good if he had decided to become a different type of doctor altogether.

Sirens alerted him to the presence of EMT's on the scene and soon they were rushing towards them, quickly sliding a backboard under Nyssa's body and depositing her onto a stretcher. She was still conscious but the pain was making her delirious. She kept blinking her eyes, her lips murmuring words nobody could hear. Maybe it was a prayer.

Rossi and Reid followed the medics as they loaded her into an ambulance. Reid hesitated for a moment, as if looking confused but then he seemed to make up his mind, "I'll – I'll ride with her to the hospital. Someone should be there until her next of kin arrives."

Rossi squeezed the kid's shoulder, "Yeah, you go ahead. I'll tell Hotch." He stared into the young agent's eyes. Now that the work was done, he seemed a bit shocked and Rossi realized that no matter how much they saw in their daily life, seeing someone bleed away in front of your eyes would never be new. "You did good, kid."

Reid gave him a small smile and jumped into the waiting ambulance. "Thanks, Rossi."

Rossi gave an answering nod and closed the doors behind him.

Later, when the crime scene had been cleared and all their statements had been processed, he arrived at the hospital where Agent Langdon was admitted, a bouquet of flowers from the team in his hands. He stopped at the reception to find out the correct room number and then made his way to room 332. The door was already ajar and he could see inside.

Nyssa was laid up on the bed, completely lucid, and talking to Reid who was sitting on a chair beside her bed. Her arm was wound in a large wad of bandages, her honey complexion a bit pale, and her curls spread messily all around her head. Reid had also changed from his bloody clothes and he was nursing a coffee in one hand, the other tapping a nervous rhythm against his thigh. Rossi had of course noticed the way the two young agents had quickly taken to each other but seeing them sitting together, talking in low tones, still made him feel a bit surprised.

There was an agitated look on Nyssa's face and Rossi realized that it would be better if he not enter the room just yet.

"I didn't realize how much he got to me." Nyssa admitted to Reid. "Even the first time we were chasing him, Zed made it personal. I realized how much I resented not catching him before when I was pointing a gun at his head."

"There are…there are some cases that just get to us," Reid sympathized. "It doesn't mean that whatever they did, or however long it took to catch them, was our fault."

"Yeah," Nyssa sighed. She looked towards Reid, sitting by her side and gave him a small smile, "Hey. Thanks for being here. It was really nice of you."

Reid shook his head, "It's no problem. No one should ever have to be alone in a hospital."

"The nurses would still have been here," Nyssa joked. She looked at him and a sudden hint of curiosity crossed her eyes, "Have you ever been shot before?"

"Once," Spencer answered. "On the leg. It wasn't serious though."

"Will you show me your scar?" Nyssa teased.

Reid smiled, a bit shyly, and managed to surprise Rossi when he said, "Only if you show me yours."

Nyssa laughed. It seemed like Rossi wasn't the only one he had surprised. The young agents both drifted into a comfortable silence and Rossi was almost about to enter the room when Reid spoke again.

"Hey. I was wondering when we get back," He swallowed nervously, and Rossi grinned, suddenly knowing what was about to happen next, "if you'd like to go somewhere. With me. When – when you get better, of course."

Nyssa seemed surprised but also very, very pleased. "Are you asking me on a date?"

"I –ah, um, yes. Yes."

Nyssa's face softened, "I'd love to go on a date with you, Dr. Reid."

"Spencer."

Nyssa grinned again, "I'd love to go on a date with you, Spencer."

Rossi silently edged away from the door. He decided to get coffee before he headed back, trying to give the agents a bit of privacy. On the way to the vending machines, he took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hey Garcia…"

* * *

 **Review and give feedback! c:**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hellooo :) I don't exactly know why but I had a harder time with this chapter so it might be a bit OOC even though it's smaller than the previous chapters. I wanted to explore Reid's trauma after the whole Maeve thing after I watched season 8 (that episode was heartbreaking tbh) so here's a bit of that. Also, I love JJ and Reid's friendship!**

* * *

JJ moved around the kitchen, finishing up. She had already refrigerated the leftovers and was quickly wiping down the counters before she began to put away the dishes. Will had been called in an hour before and now it just her and Henry in the house. It was oddly peaceful, a calm silence broken by Henry's voice singing in tune with some cartoon on the TV, and the insistent meowing of a small cat who was perched outside the kitchen widow. There was a knock on the door and she wiped her hands on her apron before heading into the other room. She glanced quickly into the peephole and then pulled the door open before there was another knock.

"Hey, Spence," she said as she ushered inside the tall man who stood at the door. Instantly, she could tell something was wrong. Spencer sometimes dropped by to spend time with Henry, bearing books or board games, and sometimes just to talk to her. But JJ could immediately tell that this visit wasn't for his godson. He looked restless, like his mind was working even faster than usual, and his otherwise well-kempt appearance was disheveled.

"Hi JJ," he said, coming inside, "Sorry for dropping by so late. I just wanted to….talk."

JJ gave him a warm smile. The truth was, she loved that he trusted her enough to share her troubles with her whenever he was feeling off. There was a time after Maeve's death when he hadn't come to her at all, even though she knew he was hurting more than ever, and not being able to help him then had broken her heart. In all the years she had known him, she had come to understand that the people he trusted, he trusted with the whole of his heart, and the way she cared about him, she was glad that she was one of those people.

Also, listening to his troubles helped her too; it made her feel less alone, like she wasn't the only one who sometimes crumbled under the weight of their jobs. She knew that it got to everyone, but they had all become such experts hiding it, sometimes she wasn't so sure. But talking with Spencer helped her realize that just because they didn't show each other what they were feeling, didn't mean that they weren't feeling it.

"Sure," she said. "Come on in."

As she accompanied him to the living room, Henry came running over to Spencer, almost colliding with his legs. "Uncle Spence! I learnt a new word today: i-n-f-i-n-i-t-y, infinity!"

Spencer bent down on Henry's level and gave him a high-five, "That's great, buddy! I'm pretty sure you're going to destroy me in scrabble the next time we play."

Henry grinned a toothless smile. JJ put a hand on her son's shoulder. "Henry, why don't you go up to your room. Mama and Uncle Spence need to have an adults-only talk."

Henry gave them a curious look but said, "Okay mama," and disappeared up the stairs.

JJ and Spencer both took a seat on the couch. She turned to face him and asked gently, "So, what's bothering you?"

He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again. He shook his head, messy hair falling over his forehead, and said, "It's stupid…"

"If it's bothering you, it's not stupid."

He nodded and then started again, "Alright…so last week after the Mark Zed case, I asked Nyssa, um Agent Langdon, out…on a date."

JJ felt the corners of her mouth turning up. She had of course known about this from a certain blonde friend of theirs, but she pretended she was hearing it for the first time. When they were on the case, she had noticed the instant connection between the two agents, from the way Nyssa was always listening when Spencer was talking, to the lengthy intellectual discussions they had which no other member of the team fully understood. Secretly, she was ecstatic when Penelope (who had found out from an eavesdropping David Rossi) had told her that Spencer had asked Agent Langdon out. It meant that he was finally moving on, and JJ knew that the normalcy of having a girlfriend might be good for him.

"That's great, Spence," she said and then realizing that he wouldn't be here if everything was fine, she followed it up with, "What's wrong?"

"I bought us tickets to see a play. It's a modern reindentation of a French classic, almost four hours long, with elements from the era of-" He seemed to realize that he was getting off track and gave a small cough before continuing, "I've been meaning to see it for some time…it's just that," His voice dropped a few octaves, "I'm not sure I want to go."

Although she had a sneaking suspicion about his reasons, she asked, "Why not? Have you changed your mind about Nyssa?"

He shook his head almost immediately, "No, she's amazing. I just…I never thought I'd be doing this."

He looked so heartbroken, so doubleminded, that her heart felt for him. The team hadn't found out about Maeve till the day of the case but JJ knew, from his devastation afterwards, that the geneticist had been it for him. That if she hadn't died, they'd still be together, that he would've gladly settled down with her. She knew that he wasn't a person to date around, if he fell, he fell deeply. And it was the same with his friends, he had few but the ones he had, he would gladly sacrifice his life for.

"When I was with Maeve," he said in a low tone, voice trembling slightly, "I knew that she was it. I never thought I would be going on a date with someone else, ever."

JJ remembered a conversation they had a short while ago, when he had said he 'would've had kids', like after Maeve's death he had actually thought that he would never be with someone else ever again. It had alarmed her but the case had gotten in the way and the conversation was forgotten. Now, she moved closer to him on the couch and grabbed his hand, squeezing lightly, "Hey. I know you thought that Maeve was it and I know you miss her but you're not betraying her if you go out with someone else. What you had with her was special and nothing and no one can change that."

"I _do_ feel like I'm betraying her though," Reid said, a flash of guilt sweeping across his eyes. "Isn't this the very definition of betrayal? Promising you love someone and then moving on like they were never there?"

"Spence," she said, meeting his gaze, trying to convey how earnestly she meant what she was saying. "Being with her changed you. No matter what, you can't move on like she was never there. You keep her in your heart but you also have to move forwards."

"You know," He gave her a wry smile, "everyone keeps saying that. Moving forwards. But I don't know if I've moved forwards at all."

"Hey," JJ said, trying to lighten the mood. "You asked another woman out on a date. I'd say that is moving forwards."

He ducked his head, scraggly hair falling over his forehead. "Yeah," he said, a bit bashfully.

She squeezed his hand tighter, "You know she'd want this for you, right? You don't know if this date will lead to anything or not but you owe it to yourself to try."

He straightened his head with a sigh, "Theoretically, I know that Maeve would want me to do this, but my brain is having a hard time reconciling it with my emotions."

JJ grinned. "Emotions are like that."

He smiled back, looking much more at ease than when he had walked through her door. He sifted through that quick brain of his and then seemed to come to a conclusion. "I think…I think I'm going to do this," he said, slowly, and then looked at her with genuine gratitude. She had once marveled at how compassion came so easy to him; he had never been ashamed to be thankful or sorry. "Thanks, JJ," he said. "I needed that."

"Always."

A day later, at approximately the same time that he had knocked on her door the day before, her cellphone rang.

"This is Jennifer," she answered, without really looking at the screen. She was too busy scrolling through an online clothing store, browsing for a new pair of boots.

"Hey, JJ."

"Spence!" she said, grinning widely as she pushed away her laptop. "How was it?"

He was quiet for a few seconds on the other side of the line and then he said in a soft voice, "It was good, JJ."

Her lips only spread wider as she waited for him to continue and after a pause, he did, "Nyssa…she was amazing." She could hear him smiling over the phone. "She's already read the play before and she was really excited when we arrived at the theatre. She said it was like I'd read her mind."

"That's great, Spence," JJ replied, genuinely.

"I just wanted to thank you for yesterday," he said, "for giving me the push."

"No problem," she said and then felt a sly smile tugging on her lips, "Sooo… is there going to be another date?"

"Maybe," he replied vaguely.

"Reid!"

"Yes," he answered with a little laugh, and her heart swelled.

She settled deeper into the couch, "Okay, so give me details."

He hesitated and she had a feeling that he was thinking the same thing that she was. That they hadn't gotten to do this when he was with Maeve and she knew that a part of him regretted that the team never got to meet her.

She allowed him an extended pause but then he started to speak, still a bit on the hesitant side, "So, um, we agreed to meet at the theatre at six…"

* * *

 **Give me all the feedback!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi again! Hotch's POV was so hard to write omg. How do you discern emotions behind that perfect pokerface? Anyway, I tried my best so even if he's a bit OOC, my apologies. Happy reading :)**

* * *

Hotch was a very private person. That being said, he had never been overly interested in his colleague's private lives either. God knows, they already knew enough about each other already, with the team working together sometimes for days on end. But lately, it seemed that he was accidentally sneaking up on Reid's private conversations, no matter how hard he tried to let private lives remain private.

He knew that that the young agent had struck up a fancy with Agent Nyssa Langdon from the Organized Crime Unit and even though he had been happy to hear the news –he knew how hard it was to lose a significant other- he wasn't very interested in knowing the details. As long as Reid was happy with it, he would be too, and that was as far as his involvement went. But it seemed he could not avoid accidentally stumbling into situations he did not sign up for.

The first time it happened, he was heading towards Reid's desk with some case files that he wanted Reid's opinion on. He, however, stopped short when he saw Agent Langdon also headed the same way, jogging her way to Reid's desk, also with a file in her hand. Her hair was pinned up in a poufy ponytail behind her head and she wore a lime colored blazer that assaulted his eyes.

Hotch decided to wait a small distance away, figuring it might be a small interaction, since it appeared to be about business.

Reid seemed as surprised to see Agent Langdon as Hotch was. He saw his Reid's face change in something akin to delight and his eyes glanced her over appreciatively, although in a very inconspicuous manner.

"Hey," Nyssa said, smiling at Reid. "I'm sorry to disturb you but I was working on a case and I thought I'd borrow your brains for a few moments?"

"Of course," Reid replied, "What've you got?"

She opened the file and showed Reid something that Hotch couldn't see. "Do you recognize this symbol? There have been a series of organized robberies in Maryland going back two weeks and we've found this symbol painted on every crime scene."

Reid's brow furrowed. "Yeah, I've seen this before. It's the Chaoshpere or the Chaos Star, originating from Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion stories. In them, the Symbol of Chaos comprises eight arrows in a radial pattern, in comparison to the Symbol of Law which is a single straight arrow."

"Right," Nyssa nodded, "That's what we thought. But this symbol only has six arrows. Have you ever seen or heard of this variation?"

"No," Reid shook his head and then explained further, hands gesturing animatedly. "The eight is very specific. As well as the points ending with arrows. Since your UnSubs decided to change that, it means that the number six is very important to them. They don't care if they distort the symbol's original meaning-"

"…which makes it less of a symbol and more of a signature." Nyssa completed his thought process.

"Exactly," Reid said and then added, "Also, I think your UnSubs could be teenagers. The Chaosphere is quite popular in mainstream pop culture and is frequently seen in many role-playing games."

"Teenagers," Nyssa deliberated. "Huh. Teenagers weren't originally in our suspect pool."

Reid gave her a full-lipped smile, "Glad to be of help."

She grinned back. A devious sort of look crossed her eyes and now that the work part of the conversation seemed to be over, Hotch saw her consciously take a step closer to Reid. The distance between them was less than acceptable in a workplace but since the bullpen was almost empty, it went unnoticed. By everyone expect Hotch that was.

"Hey," she whispered, nudging one of Reid's feet with one of hers. Her voice was considerably lower than before but in the silence of the room, it managed to reach Hotch's ears anyway. "I bought two of those space movies you told me about. Wanna watch them with me tomorrow?"

Reid looked a bit floored by the invitation but he recovered in remarkable time, "I- I'd love to. You'll love them. There's a scene where one of the main character discovers an intergalactic time portal, only it's not-"

"Shhh! No spoilers!"

He laughed shortly, eyes full of soft adoration. "Okay, no spoilers." After a moment's hesitation, he added, "I'll come by your place?"

She nodded, "I'll text you my address." Then, in an almost mock professional tone, she said, "Thanks for your help, Dr. Reid."

With a quick wink, she turned around and walked away. Reid gazed unfocusedly in the direction where she went for a few seconds, then turned his attention back to his own work. But it was obvious his mind was elsewhere, an almost goofy smile twitching at his lips.

For a few seconds, Hotch debated on bursting Reid's bubble or not, but then he walked to the genius's desk anyway. It was work, after all. He was more than inclined to do so.

"Reid," he stated, striding forwards, pretending that he had not heard a word of the conversation that had just occurred. "I need you to look through this file…"

* * *

The next time Hotch had the unfortunate experience of intruding on Reid's private life, was a few days, and three solved cases later.

He and Morgan were walking out of the bullpen, finally heading home for the weekend, when Morgan suddenly stopped him mid-step with a hand to his arm. His face lit up in his usual charmingly sly grin, "Wait a minute," he said, "Look what we've got here."

Reid stood in front of the elevator, looking casually disheveled, tapping his foot to two second intervals, looking around from the corner of his eyes. Hotch didn't need to be a profiler to know that the young agent was waiting for someone, and not the elevator, but it wasn't that unusual a sight to cause Morgan to stop in his tracks. Hotch made to resume walking but stopped once again when he saw what Morgan had already guessed.

Walking hurriedly from the other side of the corridor was Agent Nyssa Langdon, Reid's current object of affections. She looked excited, practically bouncing her way to where Reid stood, shoes cackling loudly on the tiles, spiny hair bouncing around her face. When she came face to face with Reid, she practically tackled him to the ground with the force of her hug, short arms twining around his much higher neck.

Morgan and Hotch shared identical surprised-yet-amused looks.

"You were right!" Nyssa exclaimed. "Of course you were, you're a genius, but you were right!"

Reid looked baffled yet happy at the same time, wrapping his long arms around the excited agent and returning the hug, "I'm glad you got back okay. The situation sounded really dangerous on the phone."

She waved away his concern. "Nothing we couldn't handle," she said, arms still around his neck. There wasn't much distance between them, a fact that Reid seemed to be hyperaware of. "Thank you for your help. Your brain is magnificent."

"It was nothing," Reid said modestly, even though he looked absurdly happy with the praise. "I'm kind an expert on obscure facts. Sometimes they come in handy."

She gazed adoringly into his eyes, "Well, thank you anyway." Then so quickly that Reid never saw it coming, she leaned closer and pressed her lips against his.

Hotch glanced at Morgan, who was practically grinning with glee, to give the two young agents an illusion of privacy.

"Why don't we take the stairs?" he suggested, even though his own lips were lifting in a small smile. It was refreshing, Hotch admitted, to see the beginning of something hopeful, when things were new and exciting, full of possibility. After losing Hayley, he had become a lot more cynical of love. But the scene in front of him felt innocent and _good_ , and it lifted some of that cynicism from his heart.

"Yeah," Morgan said, conceding reluctantly. "Let's take the stairs."

* * *

The third time Hotch got too-close a look at Reid's love life, he didn't mind it.

Truth to be told, he liked seeing Reid like this. Usually he was such a private person but something about Nyssa, or life experience itself, had prodded him into not being as secretive as he typically was. Instead, he didn't try to hide when he was spending time with Agent Langdon, even though he didn't go out of his way to mention it either. Once or twice in the last week, Hotch had even seen them meet at the elevator after a case, and from that alone Hotch knew that things were progressing. Getting serious.

This time though, he heard something that was explicitly not for his ears.

He was just exiting the washroom at the back of the jet when he heard someone outside the door, talking on the phone.

"No," Reid was saying, a small smile in his voice, "I'm not feeling _off_. You can't possibly tell that from my voice."

Hotch hesitated. He didn't want to wait out the conversation but at the same time, he didn't want to interrupt either. There was something in Reid's voice, something deeper than casual, and it suggested that maybe he _was_ having an off day. Hotch had noticed him drinking more than his usual amount of coffee on that particular case and had stored that little tidbit to some part of his brain (after years of being a profiler, he had a rather hard time shutting it off). But he had thought little of it, knowing that if something was indeed wrong, Reid would talk to someone. Hotch looked out for Reid –it was almost second nature now- but he also knew he was not the person Reid would spill out his emotions too.

"No, the case wasn't that hard," Reid said. Just from the way he was speaking, Hotch already knew he was talking to Agent Langdon. He sounded comfortable, at ease, and all the other people that he addressed in the same manner were already here in the plane. "It was relatively easy to isolate an UnSub who refuses to drink tap water."

Even with the door between them, he could swear he heard a laugh from the other end of the line.

"Really," Reid stressed, an infectious hint to his voice. "That's how we caught him."

There was a lull in which Hotch assumed Nyssa was speaking and he put his hand on the doorknob. But he had let the conversation go on for too long and emerging now would only make it seem like he was eavesdropping.

They seemed to have circled back to the topic from which they had started, "No, you cannot guess what's bothering me because nothing is bothering me."

Nyssa probably took a guess at what was bothering him because Reid laughed and said, "That is definitely not it."

A pause and then more softly, he said, "I know." There was another pause, a longer and heavier one, and Hotch heard Reid let out a small sigh. It sounded like he was finally conceding defeat. Outside the door, he could hear footsteps, like Reid had started walking back and forth. "Last year, about this time…I lost someone important to me. And…and the memories, um, are really vivid today. I can't seem to get them out of my head."

Hotch's heart dropped a little in his chest. He hadn't realized that it was the anniversary of Maeve's death -in fact, none of the team had- and if he had remembered earlier, he might have even convinced Reid to take the day off. Hotch knew from experience that the first anniversary of someone's death was always the hardest. There was something resounding and final about it. It was a living testament that time had continued ticking, and the thing that had happened was now truly in the past, and there was no excuse now to not move on.

"No, I know…" Reid said. And then he admitted something, Hotch had never heard him say before, "Sometimes, having an eidetic memory doesn't seem all that attractive."

There was more shuffling from the other side of the door and then Reid's voice, amusingly incredulous, "Hot chocolate? You want to fix my woes with hot chocolate?" A long pause and another small laugh. "Yes, I know that eating chocolate increases the production of endorphins…"

And just like that, Reid's voice was once again lighter, happier. Hotch silently wondered what Nyssa had said to him to ease his gloom so quickly. It was a bit surprising how she had managed to gain his trust and not pry at the same time, while simultaneously trying to cheer him up. The more Hotch found out about Agent Langdon from her interactions with Reid, the more he seemed to like her.

"Okay," Reid said, indulgently, "I'll go have hot chocolate with you."

There must have been an enthusiastic reply from the other side because Reid let out another small chuckle and said, "I'll meet you there." And then lower, more hesitant, "Can't wait to see you."

Hotch waited till he heard Reid's retreating footsteps before he let himself out the door. He couldn't wait to go home and see Beth and Jack. And maybe have some hot chocolate too…

* * *

 **I was kinda sad when Hotch and Beth broke up like he's getting old dammit, let the man have some love. Also, please tell me how I did. I was thinking of doing Emily next like she calls Reid or finds out from the team of something?**

 **Disclaimer: the facts about the Chaosphere are taken from Wikipedia. I also, of course, do not own Criminal Minds because if I did, Reid would have been getting a lot more screentime.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! Sorry for the late update; life got a bit too busy. Hope you like this chapter. It's a bit of fluff before I bring out the angst :))) Thank you for all the reviews! It means a lot c: Credit to ahowell1993 for giving me the idea about the bar scene!**

* * *

Emily sat back on her couch, turning down the volume of the TV and messaging her temples. Her most recent case had been tough and even though they had caught the perpetrator, it didn't stop her mind from replaying every single heinous thing she had witnessed, no matter how hard she tried to distract herself with reality TV. She was just about to head to the kitchen to make herself some instant noodles when her phone rang, alerting her to an oncoming facetime call. JJ's beaming face lit up the screen and Emily almost smiled at the phone; it was just like JJ to know when she needed most to talk to a friend.

"Hey," she answered immediately, smiling as the face of her blonde friend loaded across the screen. JJ looked relaxed, face unperturbed and eyes, for once, free of the tensions of a case. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

"What can I say," JJ said, grinning back. "The perks of motherhood."

Emily settled back on the couch, folding her legs underneath herself, "Speaking of motherhood, how's my little man?"

She could see movement in the background but couldn't see much else. JJ shifted the camera a little to the side to allow Emily a glimpse of Henry who was playing with a toy truck in front of the TV. "Your little man isn't so little anymore," JJ said, adjusting the camera back on her own face. "Just yesterday he told me that he was old enough to dress himself now."

Emily chuckled, "You outgrew your usefulness, JJ. He's going to be making his own fashion choices from now on."

"Hey, don't say that! He's _always_ going to want my fashion opinions."

Emily laughed, feeling something loosen in her chest. This was exactly what she needed; she didn't want to tell someone everything she saw or went through on the case, she just wanted a bit of normalcy. The proof that there were good, normal things in life, that something as small as talking to a friend could make you happy.

"Hey guess what," JJ said, leaning towards the screen, a bit excitedly, "Spence has a new girlfriend."

It took Emily a few seconds to process the news, "Wait, Reid? Really? When did this happen? Why did no one tell me!"

JJ had an almost conspiratorial look on her face, "Okay, so her name is Nyssa and she is in the Organized Crime Unit."

Emily, though a bit surprised, tried to imagine the picture JJ was painting. She felt happy to hear that Reid was moving on; she had heard about the whole Maeve fiasco last year and had been devastated for her friend. It seemed like life wasn't so keen on giving him a break. Then JJ's words sunk in. "Wait, Reid's dating a fed?"

"Yup, she's on the fourth floor. She's seemed normal at first but it turned out she was totally a nerd."

Emily laughed again, "I wouldn't count on Reid picking out anyone else." She settled deeper into the couch, preparing for a long discussion. "So tell me, what's she like?"

"Nyssa actually worked a case with us a few weeks back. That's how they met." JJ said. Emily saw her moving about again and then, there was a kid sized juice box in her hands, most likely Henry's. She sucked on the straw, "I liked her. She was really nice and upfront…She had this energy to her; didn't do anything is halves."

"My kind of person," Emily said. She felt a sudden pang in her chest; she realized how much she missed them all, how much she wished she could be as close a part in their lives as she had once been. If she were still there, she knew that she and Morgan would probably have teased Reid mercilessly, but also making sure that he knew how happy they were for him after all the fun was done. "I'm really glad he's moving on," she said, earnestly.

"Yeah," JJ replied, more softly, probably thinking of last year's tragedy like Emily had done a few moments ago. "I hope it goes well. You know how Reid is, it's either all or nothing for him."

"Well," Emily said, "If Reid likes her, then she must be a hell of a woman."

* * *

Emily hadn't known then, but she got the chance to meet Reid's new love interest sooner than she expected. As soon as she heard that JJ was in trouble a couple of weeks after their call, she was grabbing her go-bag and commandeering her team's jet to Quantico. In all the worry and rush that followed, she forgot about anything that didn't relate to JJ and bringing her back.

It was after they rescued JJ, when they were at the bar celebrating, that she remembered about Reid's girlfriend at all. And it still wasn't on her own, much to her dismay. They were all laughing about something or the other, Emily's heart full and light, when Morgan nudged Reid teasingly and motioned towards the entrance to the bar. Reid glanced above everybody's head and whatever he saw made him blush. He didn't budge though and after a while Emily saw a young woman walking towards them, curvy and brown skinned, and then it clicked, although she had to rack her brains a bit to remember the woman's name.

Nyssa wore a classy orange and gray dress, her curls surrounding her head in a pretty halo. She went straight towards Reid, smiling at him and then standing on her tiptoes and giving him a quick kiss. The team gave a few mocking hoots and Reid seemed a bit embarrassed, even though his easy happiness trumped what little discomfiture he might have felt in front of the team. Emily admitted that it was a bit strange seeing Reid like this; in all the years they had worked together, he had never introduced them to a girl. And not only had he invited her out with the team, but he apparently wasn't entirely opposed to public displays of affection either. Nyssa didn't seem to mind the hooting and after greeting Reid, she immediately headed for JJ.

"I heard what happened," she said, giving JJ a small hug. From what Emily could tell, she seemed genuine, and being a former profiler, her instincts were probably right. "I'm glad you're okay, JJ."

JJ smiled back. "Thanks. Feels good to be back."

After another reassuring look from JJ, Nyssa moved back to Reid's side, exchanging nods and short hugs with the rest of the team. It was only then that she noticed Emily and Emily saw the curiosity rise in the other agent's eyes.

"Emily Prentiss," Emily introduced, extending a hand with a polite smile. "I used to work with these goofs."

Nyssa accepted her hand, some of the curiosity lifting from her eyes. She was pretty in an unconventional way: round nose, thick lips that were currently coated in nice nude shade, and light brown irises that reflected the dim lighting of the bar, giving her eyes a warm, swimming glint, like a jar of honey under the sun. Her dark hair complimented her face nicely, thickly surrounding her head in springing curls and adding at least two inches to her height. "Nyssa Langdon," she took Emily's hand, "Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Emily replied.

Nyssa seemed comfortable enough amidst the group, and the team welcomed her presence like it was only natural. But Emily couldn't help but observe the new couple. As soon as Nyssa had went to stand by Reid's side, she had immediately slipped an arm around his waist, suggesting that she showed affection through touch. But even though Reid could sometimes be averted to physical contact, he seemed perfectly okay with it, even pleased. It made sense though, Emily realized. He never seemed to mind when any of the team touched him; in fact once he really got to know a person, he had no trouble with any sort of touching at all.

It only showed how close Nyssa had gotten to him in such a short time and Emily couldn't deny that she was curious. Very curious. The rest of the team had time to get used to the idea of Reid having a girlfriend but because Emily had been away, she still felt a little out of the loop. So while the majority of her attention was occupied by the chatter going around her, she couldn't stop her eyes from flickering to Reid once in a while.

"So Boy Genius," she finally addressed Reid after they had all finished laughing at one of her anecdotes from London. She waved her hands between him and Nyssa, a teasing hint to her voice, "How exactly did this happen?"

Reid ducked his head a little, smiling at the ground. Nyssa looked at him sideways and grinned at his shyness. "Okay so," she started in his place, "I was at a convention for the society of Competitive Reading of Obscure Works of Latin Literature and suddenly Spencer here shows up, all in his reading-twenty-thousand-words-per-minute glory, and the rest of the competitors were like, what the fudging hell-"

Emily's mouth dropped open. There was a beat of silence and then the rest of the team burst into laughter.

"Okay, okay," she said, shaking her head. "You got me. Now what's the real story?"

Reid took over, still grinning. His eyes were lit up and the expression on his face was almost sappy, something that made Emily feel immeasurably happy. "Nyssa worked a case with us a month and a half ago," he said. Emily remembered JJ telling her that but couldn't recall any more details. "Umm…and things just went forwards from there."

"Fraternizing on the job, huh Reid?" she teased. "You player."

He looked sideways at Nyssa, "Well, it wasn't entirely one-sided…"

Nyssa let out a surprised bark of laughter, "Spencer Reid, are you calling me a flirt?"

"What? No," He gave a shrug of his lanky shoulders, a hint of something sly in his voice, "You weren't very subtle."

Nyssa laughed with everybody else, looking at Reid with raised eyebrows and an infectious grin. "You wait till we're alone, Doctor, then we'll see about subtlety."

"Woah woah woah," Morgan interrupted, waving his drink around, "TMI. Too much information!"

There was a pause as Nyssa gleaned the meaning behind Morgan's words and then an uncharacteristic blush colored her cheeks. "What? No! I didn't mean it like that!"

"I knew Boy Genius had to have a spunky side." Penelope added. "You can't know that much random, weird stuff without having a spunky side."

"Garcia!"

Emily laughed again, feeling lighter than she had in months. It was going to be a long night and she couldn't be more happy about it.

A few drinks later when Rossi was regaling the guys about his misadventures from university, she took time to seek out JJ and Garcia; just the three of them sitting around the table, nursing drinks, like the old times. She told them about the new friends she made in London, a few of the more interesting cases she worked on recently, and even a guy she might or might not have been seeing. In turn, JJ had new stories about her family and the team, and Penelope told them all about the knitting group she had decided to join for a week before quitting because of her 'delicate, breakable fingers.'

"Hey," JJ nudged her with an elbow, nodding towards the small dance floor where a few couples and friend-groups were dancing. "Look at that."

She and Penelope followed her line of sight and saw what she was pointing out. It was Reid, who was being dragged onto the floor by a very persistent Nyssa. He was protesting against dancing which was clearly what Nyssa had in mind, but Emily could tell from where she sat that his heart really wasn't in it. He looked far too content to be doing protesting of any sort. Nyssa led him to a relatively secluded corner of the bar and guided his hands to her waist before throwing her own arms around his neck. Then gently, even though it was in contrast to the poppy music, she started to lead him around, swaying in uncoordinated circles.

His height, coupled with her shortness made for a clumsy dance but when Emily saw Nyssa giggle at their attempt at synchronization, she knew that it didn't matter to the either of them.

Beside her, Penelope let out a contended sigh, "Wow. That's something else, isn't it? That boy is practically an angel. It's a wonder it took him that long to find someone."

"Yeah," Emily agreed quietly. "If anyone deserves to be happy, it's him."

It was something that she had always thought. Him, JJ and Garcia were three of the purest people she had ever met, genuinely compassionate yet absurdly strong. After all she had seen and been through, she didn't know if she would get her chance at a happily ever after. She was tarnished. Jaded by things that she could not change. But the three of them, she knew that they deserved the world, that they deserved every happiness that could come their way. And seeing him there, with laughing eyes and upturned lips, she knew that he had earned the full package, maybe even more.

She took out her phone, opening the camera and zooming in until she had them in frame. She snapped a quick picture and then stored it to her cloud just in case. She had a feeling that she would be needing it a long while in the future.


	6. Chapter 6

**Helloooo. Sorry for such badly timed updates. I'm in architecture school and tbh haven't had a free weekend since uni started. So please bear with me. Loved writing this chapter! I miss Blake; she was such a lovely addition tbh. I'm probably gonna do Kate next so hit me up if you have any ideas!**

* * *

Alex didn't know why she called him Ethan.

Well, maybe she did. He was dying and Ethan was once dying too and it was pretty logical that her brain skipped the in-between and brought her to a place which she had tried to forget for oh-so-long. Ethan would have been younger than him if he had lived, but because Reid had always been the youngest in the team, her once forgotten maternal instincts had kicked in, and as he bled out in her hands, it was like she was losing Ethan all over again.

She never again wanted to feel that way. Ever.

Her worry for his health was only augmented by the fact that he had taken a bullet that was otherwise meant for her. Her gift for practically being bullet proof had turned into a curse overnight; she rather take her life's due share of bullets rather than watch someone else get hit defending her. She was sure that when they got back to Virginia, the scenario would have a regular reappearance in the nightmares that were surely going to plague her nights.

Her eyes traced his comatose form on the bed. He had fallen back asleep a few minutes ago, the drugs in his system making him too drowsy to stay awake any longer. The room was filled with the constant hum of machines and he would have looked peaceful were not for his bandaged-up neck laid at an awkward angle against the pillow, and the cannula on his hand that connected his body to a bag of fluids. She was once again filled with a profound sense of guilt, a small black hole of emotions she was not ready to explore. Him almost dying had brought up too much stuff to the surface, stuff that she had been ignoring too loudly. And now suddenly, she knew that she would have to deal with it all in the present or she never would.

It was amazing how he was sometimes awkward in social situations, because the way he had managed to sneak his way into her heart in such a short time was nothing short of a miracle. But then again, she could tell from the time she joined the team that even though he didn't connect with most people, he somehow managed to dig up too big a space inside the people he did connect with.

And now the big space inside her was a big mess of guilt and hurt and confusion.

A knock at the door brought her back to the world of present. She looked up expecting to see one of the members of the team but standing instead on the door was Agent Nyssa Langdon, Reid's girlfriend of about two months. Alex sat up straighter in surprise. She had assumed that Nyssa was probably on a case herself and would meet them back at Quantico; she hadn't expected the agent to fly all the way to Texas. "Nyssa. I didn't know you were coming."

Nyssa walked in, worry clearly written on every part of her face. Even though she was addressing Alex, her eyes were already trained on Reid, analyzing and inspecting every inch of his body that was visible from under the hospital sheets. "We were on the plane back to Quantico when Penelope called me. I –I convinced the team to make a quick stop," she informed Alex, before unconsciously taking a step closer to Reid, voice grave and low. "How is he?"

She looked worn and tired, like she hadn't slept in two days, which was entirely possible if her team had been working on a case that was difficult to solve. Her curls were limp and tied down and she looked like she could have used a hot shower. The blatant concern on her face only made Alex feel worse. Nyssa and Reid had only been together for a short while but she knew that Reid was crazy about the other agent and that the sentiment was probably evenly reciprocated. Would Nyssa blame Alex for the fact that her boyfriend had been shot protecting her?

Alex stood up, rubbing her palms against one another. "He was awake a while ago but he's still on pain medication so it wasn't long before he was out. The surgery was successful though. The doctor was sure that he'll make a full recovery."

Nyssa nodded. One of her hands crept up to her chest and she drummed her fingers against her collarbones distractedly. It seemed weird to see her like this. Alex hadn't known Nyssa for very long but the times they had interacted, Nyssa was always chipper and almost charmingly energetic. Now it seemed like the news about Reid had come on an already bad day and she looked drained and down, not like herself.

Alex hesitated. She didn't know what to do. Guilt was still clawing at her throat, an incessant monster in need of release. "You can wake him up if you want to," she said, too quickly. "I'm sure he'd want to be awake to see you."

Nyssa nodded again. She took another step closer to him until she was just shy of his bed. She reached out and touched his cheek softly, before brushing some hair from his forehead. Then hesitatingly, she placed a hand on his shoulder and shook. "Spencer?" she whispered. "Hey." There was a slight catch in her voice, something that Alex pretended not to notice, "I need you to wake up."

Reid shifted slightly, but it took a few more nudges for him to blearily open his eyes. "Nyssa?" He squinted. "What –what are you doing here?"

"Hey," Nyssa said, softly. "We were on the way back to Quantico and I convinced the team to make a quick stop." She took hold of one of Reid's hand, squeezing lightly, "How are you feeling?"

Reid gave her a tired smile. He instantly looked more aware and more at ease than when he had first woken up. "As well as can be expected," he said, comfortingly. His eyes scanned her face and a small frown furrowed between his eyebrows, "Are you okay? Is everything alright?"

Nyssa gave a small brittle laugh and Alex thought that maybe it was time to leave. Slowly, she crept out of the room, walking to stand against the wall outside the doorway. She could have left but she wasn't ready to drift too far away from his just yet. And besides, Nyssa wouldn't be there for too long and Alex didn't want him to be alone when she left.

"I'm not the one who got shot in the neck," Nyssa said, trying to force a smile into her voice. "You just worry about yourself for now, okay?"

Reid tried to make light of the situation, trying to play down his injury for her sake, "The meds must really be working. I honestly don't feel much."

Alex heard Nyssa take a large, shaky breath.

"Nyssa," Reid said, softly, "Hey. Look at me. I'm okay."

Nyssa let out a small sniffle. "I'm sorry -I'm sorry I'm making this about me. You're the one who got shot."

There was some rustling on the other side as Reid pulled Nyssa to sit beside him on the hospital bed. "And I'm okay now. The bullet only hit some minor blood vessels. They were able to control the bleeding fairly quickly."

"Do you know," Nyssa asked hoarsely, "what the statistics of survival are for a shot to the neck? When Penelope called me, you weren't out of surgery and all I knew was that you'd been hit." She took a steadying breath, "I know that we haven't been together for very long but since I've known you, you've become very important to me and…and-"

"You're very important to me too," Reid said. Alex couldn't help herself from taking a quick glance through the window beside her head that looked into the room. Reid was sitting up fully, holding both of Nyssa's hands in his own, even though one was still connected to a tube. He looked at Nyssa with the tenderness and empathy of understanding something that Alex was unaware of. Giving her hands a gentle squeeze, he asked, "Bad case?"

"Umm…yeah," Nyssa admitted after a small pause of hesitation. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear and looked down at Reid's hands when she spoke, lightly tracing her thumb over a vein. "There was this girl, Sandra…umm, she was nineteen. After we arrested the leader of the drug ring we were tracking, we found Sandra OD'd at his apartment. She had come to us with information about where his next deal was taking place but we sent her back in to get more intel. When I found her at the apartment…we took her to the hospital and for some time I thought she'd be okay, but she never made it out of the ambulance."

Alex's heart contracted, both for Nyssa and that poor nineteen year old. Reid was quiet for a few seconds. "I'm sorry that she didn't make it. But it's not your fault."

Nyssa gave him a teary nod. "I know. But it made me feel horrible and hearing you got shot on top of that…it was a lot of bad news on one day."

"I'll be okay," Reid assured once again. "You should go home and get some rest."

Nyssa smiled slightly, intertwining their fingers together. "Do I look that bad?"

"No, you look beautiful," Reid said, entirely too seriously. He reached forwards and traced the dark circles beneath her eye with a thumb. "But tired."

Nyssa nodded, more trying to appease him than actually agreeing to some rest. She tightened her grip on his hand, "Can you tell me what happened? Do you want to talk about it?"

Alex's heartbeat picked up. She had spent the last few hours wallowing in her own guilt but it hadn't quite crossed her mind that Reid might put blame of his injury on her. In all the time she had come to know him, she knew that it wasn't something that he would do and even though she herself felt torn over it, he would only ever try to appease her guilt. But what if Nyssa thought otherwise?

"It all went by too quick," Reid started. His voice was lower than before and it was evident that the scene he was recalling was not something he wanted to relive even in his mind. "There was so much confusion, bullets flying everywhere. We were all diving for cover behind the cop cars but I was just too slow, I guess. It was all very chaotic and random; the guy didn't even know what he was shooting. He was just in a blind panic."

He wasn't going to tell her then. Alex didn't know if she was relieved or not.

"That just makes me feel worse," Nyssa frowned. "But if you need to talk to someone about it, I'm here, okay?"

"Yeah, I know." Reid replied and just from the cadence of his voice, Alex knew he believed it.

The two of them descended into much quieter voices after that and Alex thought that maybe Nyssa intended to stay longer than she had originally presumed. She walked away from the window and took a seat on one of the waiting chairs lining the hallway on the other side of the corridor, leaning her head back against the wall and closing her eyes. She needed to rethink everything that she had once taken for granted. And she needed to do it very soon.

She was in a hazy state between sleep and wakefulness, when she heard footsteps heading out of Reid's room. She opened her eyes and saw Nyssa walk out, looking much lighter and happier than when she had first entered. She spotted Alex and started to walk over.

"Hey," she smiled at Alex, "I'm heading out. You're going to wait here?"

"Yeah. Garcia is flying in; I'll stay until she gets here," Alex answered.

"Thanks for staying with him," Nyssa said, sincerely. "I know you must be dying to get back to the case."

Alex tried to smile but she was sure it was coming out as more of a grimace. "Yeah. I think we're all ready to just catch whoever is behind this and go home."

Nyssa nodded in understanding and gave Alex's shoulder a brief squeeze, "I'm sure you guys will catch him soon. Good luck, Alex."

She started to walk away and Alex didn't think when she stood and said, "Nyssa, wait."

Nyssa turned around, "Yeah?"

"It was my fault," she blurted out. "Reid, he -he was protecting me. I wasn't behind cover and he was trying to drag me away when he got hit."

Nyssa's expression changed, but Alex didn't know her well enough to read what it was. At least she had gotten it off her shoulders.

"Alex," Nyssa started, conflictingly, "I –I don't know what to say-"

She looked confused, like she didn't know what she was feeling or how she should be reacting.

"You don't have to say anything," Alex quickly reassured. "I just wanted you to know."

"I wish he'd told me himself," Nyssa said, a bit upset, but then she shook her head, "but you can't possibly think it's your fault. He did it because he loves you; you're not responsible for his actions."

"I-I know," Alex said, haltingly. "But –but if something had happened to him because of me, I would've never been able to forgive myself."

Nyssa's face softened in understanding. "But nothing happened. That's what we need to remember."

"Yeah," Alex nodded, feeling a knot loosen in her chest.

Nyssa smiled, "Well, I better head back." This time she reached for Alex's arm, squeezing slightly, "Don't be too hard on yourself, okay? He's going to be fine."

Alex nodded. _He's going to be fine._

* * *

Alex didn't know it was possible to feel so heavy and light at the same time. She felt like she was going to start crying at any second, yet she felt lighter than she had felt in years. She jogged down the stairs, not really looking where she was going. It was the right decision. No matter how much she would miss this job, and the new family she had acquired in the last two years, she knew it was the right-

Oomph.

"Alex?" Sorry I wasn't really paying attention," It was Nyssa, looking much fresher and well-rested than when they had last met. She had her jacket slung over her shoulder and was holding a bag of takeout containers, on her way up to Reid's apartment. Her large eyes scrutinized Alex's face, "Are –are you alright?"

Alex nodded, forcing a smile, "Yeah, just tired. I just came to drop him off. He's feeling much better now."

"Good," Nyssa smiled. She gave Alex a tiny wave with her free hand, moving past her and up the stairs, "It was nice to see you again."

"Likewise," Alex said, "And Nyssa?"

Nyssa turned her neck, "Hmm?"

"Take care of him, alright?"

Nyssa's eyes softened. She didn't know what the other agent saw on her face but it was enough for her to perhaps understand the reason for Alex's melancholy. She looked directly into Alex's eyes, and said with a conviction that warmed Alex's heart, "I will."

Alex walked down the rest of the stairs and into the waiting car. She was going to be alright.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi. I know it's been two months. And this chapter probably sucks. But student life, you know :) This story is probably going to have two more chapter which are sort of going to be the climax. So stay tuned (or not because who knows how long it's going to take me this time). Enjoy!**

* * *

Kate was having a good day. Her first month at the BAU had gone by fairly well. She was honestly surprised at how well she had fit into the group; she already felt like good friends with all of them, and to top it off, it had been a pretty uneventful month at home too. Now, if only her stomach could stop emitting dying-whale sounds and let her fill up her paperwork in peace.

She had slept a few minutes too long that morning and consequently had to skip breakfast. Now her stomach couldn't stop grumbling and Morgan had already given her a few too many amused looks. She filled in some last few words, flipping the file closed, and then looked around to see if anyone was watching. Glad to see that everyone was otherwise occupied, she silently stood up from her desk and strolled casually towards the kitchen area, heading for the slim door at the corner that led to a small pantry in which they stored snacks, coffee and the likes.

It was a small space yet someone had still somehow stacked it with at least three shelves. She moved through the stacks of unopened cartons and empty boxes, heading towards the last shelf where she spotted a pack of her favorite chips dangling from a high corner. She was reaching for the top shelf when she heard voices from outside and then someone was stepping through the door and closing it behind them.

"What are you doing?" She heard Reid say. She was about to move around the shelf to reply, but when a women's voice answered him, she realized the question hadn't been aimed at her. Kate immediately moved behind the shelf, realizing the situation she had stumbled upon. Oh boy. This couldn't be good.

"Shhhh," The woman answered. It didn't take Kate long to recognize the voice of Reid's girlfriend, Nyssa. "Someone's going to hear us."

Kate had only met Nyssa once at her time with the BAU and that was just in passing when the other agent had come up to get Reid before they had headed out. She hadn't known then that he was in a relationship and was kind of surprised to see the brightly dressed woman leaning over his desk, brushing stray messy hair out of his eyes. Nyssa was instantly likable in a charming sort of manner and even though they seemed to be two very different people, Kate had to admit that they had somehow made sense.

"What are they going to hear?" Reid asked, "Did you want to talk in private because-"

"Yes, I wanted to talk in private." Nyssa spoke over him. Just from the cadence of her voice, Kate knew it was something serious. She prayed to god that they weren't about to have a fight, or worse, a heart to heart. "Something's wrong. Tell me what's wrong."

Reid's brows furrowed. "No…nothing's wrong. What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Spence," Nyssa sighed.

Kate debated coming out from behind the shelf. This felt like this was the beginning of a conversation she didn't want to eavesdrop upon. But, god, it was going to be so awkward if she randomly walked out from behind a shelf, interrupting whatever it was that was about to happen. Maybe they'll have a small conversation and she could wait it out, foregoing any awkwardness. But what if it wasn't-

"Ever since last week you've been distant," Nyssa said, voice solemn and maybe a bit hurt. "And I'm not part of the BAU. I can't figure out what's going on unless you tell me."

Reid looked at her, then downwards, biting his lip in deliberation. He shook his head, not meeting her eyes, "It's nothing. I'll get over it."

Nyssa folded her arms across her chest in a defensive gesture. Even though her face betrayed nothing, her whole stance was rigid and wrought with tension. Kate winced. Was she about to witness a breakup? And to think she was worried about causing any awkwardness…

"That implies that there's something to get over," Nyssa said. "That's not how relationships work, Spencer. You can't just ignore whatever's bothering you and expect yourself, and me, to get over it. Just tell me what I did."

"Fine," Spencer bit out, uncharacteristically. He pushed his hands into his pockets and spoke too quickly, words rushing out of his mouth before he had the time to process them, "Last Friday, when I was over, I was in the bathroom and I heard you talking to your mother on the phone. She was nagging you about something and then you told her you weren't seeing anyone. I know you don't have a close relationship with your mother, but common human nature suggests that when you're really care about something, telling your loved ones about it is usually the foremost reaction."

Nyssa took a step back, her mouth snapping shut. "Spencer," she started, almost immediately, "I didn't –I don't-"

Kate felt a small kernel of anger sparking in her stomach. She knew she didn't have the full story but she still felt protective towards Reid, even though she had just known him for a month.

"We haven't been together for very long," Reid continued speaking. It was as if the dam had broken and now he couldn't stop himself until he had said all that he'd been thinking about the past few days. His words were still quick but now he was looking into her eyes, conveying all the hurt that was already present in his voice, "and this might be another relationship for you but the past few months have been incredibly real for me….and if you like this to be a casual thing, then I understand-"

"Spencer." Nyssa grabbed his hands, stopping his mid-sentence. The shock on her face was replaced by a stormy look of conviction, "Nothing about this, about us, is casual, okay? I screwed up, but I need you to let me explain myself, please."

Reid looked at her for a few seconds and then gave her a little nod.

Kate knew she shouldn't be this invested in her friend's relationship, but since there was no way in hell that she was interrupting this now, she found the best possible view and settled back to watch. She had to admit that if it was her husband who would've done something like that when they were dating, she would have been extremely hurt. But at the same time she felt curious to hear what Nyssa was going to say. After her own share of romantic ups and downs, Kate knew things were never truly black and white.

Nyssa looked downwards at their still intertwined hands. "What I did was wrong…I shouldn't have lied to my mother, whether you were listening or not."

Reid said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

"My mother… she's very intense. And traditional. She thinks I should've gotten married five years ago. So, every time I've introduced her to someone I was seeing, she got way to ahead of herself, started planning dinners, dropping hints about proposals." Nyssa heaved a large sigh. "And it scared off both of the guys I've ever introduced her too. I just... I like the way things are right now. I didn't –I didn't want to burst the bubble."

"Bubble?"

"You know," Nyssa gestured with her hands, "the _bubble_. Everything is nice and easy and uncomplicated. As soon as I bring my mother into the mix, uncomplicated will be a word of the past."

Reid bit his lip, looking down at her, his thoughts churning but not apparent, "I know I'm not the best with people…but I do think I can handle meeting your parents, given the chance."

Kate frowned. She honestly thought that everyone generally underestimated Reid's people skills, including himself. Sure he liked to rattle of numbers and facts mid-conversation that usually left people stumped, but she had seen him work with all kinds of people on the job. And even though his EQ wasn't as high as his IQ, Kate thought he was still very emotionally perceptive, especially when it came to the team.

It seemed like Nyssa had the same thing in mind. She let out a small noise in protest, "Of course you can! That's not even the issue, Spencer. My parents will absolutely love you. They'll hear the word 'doctor' and think that you're the most qualified person to ever walk through their door, which you probably would be-" She took a breath to get back on the point. "I guess, the point I'm trying to make is that things are _good_ right now. And I didn't want to ruin anything by adding familial pressures to the mix."

Kate silently nodded her head in agreement. Familial pressures were definitely real.

Some of the apprehension from Reid's face was dissolving. "I don't think your family can be more pressurizing than our jobs already are and we're handling that okay," he said with a small hint of a smile that quickly overturned. "At least I hope they won't be."

Nyssa laughed and Kate could physically feel the tension in the room vaporizing.

"They're not that bad," Nyssa shook her head, "I was just being stupid. I'll tell them about us. Tonight."

"Good," Reid smiled. Once again, it turned into a worried frown, "Are you sure they'll like me? I've never been good with fathers in general, mine or any friends'. It's because I tend to quote facts when I'm nervous which leads to them either looking at me like I'm a computer or-"

"Spencer," Nyssa stopped him by cupping his face in her hands. "You don't have anything to be worried about."

Reid smiled again, "Good." He raised a hand to brush some hair from Nyssa's face and Kate got the distinct feeling that now would be a real good time for her to magically teleport out of the room.

"I wrote to my mother about you too, you know." He told her, his affection shining plainly through his face. "It was the morning after our first date. I tell her everything and that morning I was really happy."

Nyssa tried to contain her smile. "What did she say?"

"She said and I quote: 'Nyssa sounds like a lovely young woman. I hope you will introduce me to her someday.'"

Nyssa's smile only grew wider, "I hope so too." She closed the distance between them and gave him a quick kiss. And then another. Kate desperately hoped that that was it and they were going to keep it PG. But the atmosphere between the couple was already changing.

Nyssa whispered something that Kate couldn't hear and then she was stretching on her toes and nuzzling her nose in Reid's neck, "God, I love it when you wear this sweater…"

The tone of her voice had Kate almost putting her hands on her ears but she substituted it with closing her eyes when that low whisper turned into a full blown make out session. With lots of tugging. And hands. God, it felt like she was intruding on her little brother or something; she was pretty sure she would never be able to look at Reid the same way again. And now she was definitely stuck here. She could only imagine their mortification if they knew Kate had been in the room all along.

She opened her eyes a tiny bit and almost let out a squeak when she saw a flash of skin. She backed away quickly, wanting to put as much distance between her and the ongoing activities as possible, and accidentally clanged her foot against the leg of a shelf. Which was made of metal. Which let out a loud noise. Which made her almost dissolve into the floor.

As one, the couple startled and broke apart. Their heads swiveled in her direction. And then simultaneously, they said,

"Kate?"

* * *

 **(I don't wanna say this but I'm not really enjoying this season? And that's making me sad. Also can we please get a proper Reid centric storyline? I swear they've been ignoring him from like season ten)**


End file.
